Published by Tom Thinnes on Wed, Sep 03, 2014
Marty Coaker grew up in Rockford, MI. Aviation was in his blood and he wanted to transcend the confines of gravity. According to Coaker, “My parents say that it’s (aviation) always been something that I wanted. As long as I can remember, flying has been my goal.”
In 1997, Coaker changed his battle cry from “Go Rams” to “Go Broncos!” Graduating from Rockford High School, Coaker enrolled at Western Michigan University, taking his aviation dreams to the next level. Studying aviation while at WMU, Coaker took advantage of a multitude of opportunities to help him accomplish his goal of becoming a professional aviator. “I was fortunate to be chosen to intern for Mesaba Airlines in Detroit,” stated Coaker. “Our office was located in the Chief Pilot’s office and our duties were literally anything the Chief Pilot or operation needed. We were given cockpit jumpseat privileges as well as travel benefits. It was an incredible time and experience.”
While at Western Michigan University, Coaker also took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the University’s precision flight team: the Sky Broncos. “Much of my time in college was devoted to the Precision Flight Team,” said Coaker. Three of the five years Coaker spent at Western Michigan University were spent with the Sky Broncos. As Coaker states, “This was time well spent. I was a three year member and one year captain on the Sky Broncos Precision Flight Team. Our team won the National Championship in 2002. I firmly believe that my start, and hopefully finish, in aviation was due to the National Intercollegiate Flying Association and our team. The contacts, networking and friends that have come from it cannot be replaced.”
In addition to the incredible networking opportunities, NIFA provided Coaker and the other Sky Bronco members some of their fondest memories at the College of Aviation and Western Michigan University. Recalled Coaker, “To this day, I consider winning a national championship at the collegiate level and being part of a national championship team as one of my proudest moments. My father snapped a picture of that moment, and it still hangs above my desk.” Not only was this a proud moment for Coaker and the 2002 Sky Broncos, it was also an honored moment for Western Michigan University. When the 2002 team won the national championship, this upped the number of NIFA National Championships won by WMU to five, making it another “Great day to be a Bronco!” moment. For Coaker, “Standing next to 20 friends and teammates in Ohio when the National Championship was ours,” was one of his greatest memories. Winning “was, and is always a team effort, and that’s something to be proud of,” remembered Coaker.
Coaker’s experience beyond the classroom was instrumental in assisting him during his aviation journey. Paralleling his extracurricular activities was his time spent in the academic world. “Attending a collegiate leader in aviation gives a student and future professional pilot a huge advantage in the real world. I found that to be true for me, and I believe others have as well,” stated Coaker. “I was always pushed in positive directions by people like Tom Grossman, Ryan Seiler and Beth Seiler,” he recalled. “We had a great group of students and instructors while I was at WMU. I think we pushed each other. Now we find ourselves in all areas of aviation, and I think that is a testament to the education and instructors at WMU.”
Graduating from Western Michigan University in 2002, Coaker set off on a new journey: full time aviation employment. As many understand in the aviation world, this transition between graduation and “the job” is often challenging. Coaker’s experience was not atypical. According to Coaker, “The networking and friends that the team gave me were invaluable and helped to land my first job outside of WMU, and helped make my transition to Republic Airlines.” The path Coaker took demonstrated perseverance and determination, which is often a characteristic of successful individuals in the aviation world.
Currently, Coaker is a Captain for Republic Airlines, flying out of Chicago, O’Hare while also serving as a Flight Operations Quality Assurance Gatekeeper in Indianapolis, IN. As Coaker recalls, his career pathway included a few stops and layovers, “In college I was a flight operations intern for Mesaba Airlines in Detroit. I moved on to become a CFII at WMU, while working as an on demand charter pilot at DET all while working ramp service for American Eagle Airlines at AZO. I had an amazing opportunity to become a corporate pilot prior to graduating. Seizing that opportunity, I grew and learned with that company prior to moving on to Republic about ten years ago. During my time at Republic, I’ve had the privilege of helping write jumpseat protocol, write policies and procedures based on FOQA data to promote safe practices and procedures across our airline and I also deliver new airplanes from the Embraer factory in Brazil.” All while flying the line.
Coaker’s journey is far from over; in fact, it is only beginning. As the old saying goes, enjoy what you do and you will never work a day in your life. Working in aviation, Coaker sees a lot to like, “There is a daily challenge to flying that I enjoy. Taking care of guests, flight planning, weather challenges and making it all come together for safe flying” are what makes his career choice enjoyable. “I see one or maybe two more steps in my career, but in one form or another, I’ll always fly.”
The importance of the Sky Broncos and NIFA had a profound impact on Coaker’s life. As a result, his journey now includes an altruistic agenda. “I currently am the Assistant Coach for the Sky Broncos. I have the privilege of being able to teach in the classroom, the simulators and the flight team airplanes. It’s a real honor to be able to help shape the team for the goals that the coaching staff has for the future,” stated Coaker. “Having alumni involvement at the university level is so important to student growth. Not only do students get to learn about the industry of their choice, but they have people that they can rely on for real world advice and mentoring. We strive for as much involvement as possible with our team, and I think that the College of Aviation has done a great job at getting alumni to be engaged.”